LinkedIn VP Reveals How AI and Video Are Reshaping B2B Marketing

Mar 17, 2026 · Exit Five
🎧 PodShort 45 min squeezed to 2 AI SprinklerAS Sales Tech
Episode artwork
Devang Shah
VP of Marketing at LinkedIn
Exit Five
45 min squeezed to 2
Full episode from Exit Five
Quotable Moments

AI slop is gonna kill deals, kill brand and kill trust.

Dave GerhardtHost of The Dave Gerhardt Show
0:06

The average B2B deal takes 211 days and involves 22 people.

Devang ShahVP of Marketing at LinkedIn
1:37

Creativity, real connection are grounded in human-to-human interaction, and that's not gonna be replaced any time soon.

Devang ShahVP of Marketing at LinkedIn
39:19
Key Insights
  • Poor quality AI content, referred to as 'AI slop,' will negatively impact deals, brand reputation, and customer trust. Marketers must focus on creating valuable and meaningful content.
  • The average B2B deal cycle takes 211 days and involves 22 people, highlighting the complexity and extended timeline of B2B sales.
  • 70% of B2B buyers are Gen Z and Millennials, and they increasingly consume content in formats like video, influencing how marketers should engage with them.
  • 94% of B2B buyers are now gathering information from Large Language Models (LLMs), making it crucial for marketers to influence these platforms with trusted and expert content.
  • Brand building and performance marketing are not distinct but intricately connected; separating them often leads to less successful brand outcomes.
  • The concept of 'buyability' is essential in B2B marketing, where building trust and relationships enables buyers to defend their purchase decisions within their organizations.
  • 60-70% of an ad's effectiveness is attributed to its creativity, emphasizing the importance of authentic, human-centric content over highly produced or over-optimized material.
  • AI will enable efficiencies and enhance marketing efforts, but human creativity and genuine connection will remain indispensable and will not be replaced.
Metrics Mentioned
  • 211 days (Average B2B deal cycle duration.)
  • 22 people (Average number of people involved in a B2B deal.)
  • 70% (Percentage of B2B buyers who are Gen Z and Millennials.)
  • 60% (Percentage of online searches that are zero-click searches.)
  • 94% (Percentage of B2B buyers who are getting information from LLMs.)
  • 2.2x higher click-through rates (Thought leadership ads perform higher compared to single image ads with the same objective on LinkedIn.)
  • 186% increase in ROAS and 8.7x increase in video completion rates (Results for Smoke Ball (legal tech company) using thought leader ads paired with testimonials.)
  • 95% (Percentage of B2B buyers not in-market at any given time.)
  • 5x increase in profile views (Achieved by posting at least twice a week on LinkedIn.)
  • 60-70% (Percentage of an ad's effectiveness tied to creativity.)

RevBots.ai View:

  • AI Sprinkler stage marketers must balance AI efficiency with human creativity.
  • Trust-building content is critical for influencing LLM-driven buyer journeys.
  • Video-first strategies align with Gen Z and Millennial preferences.
  • ARM marketers should integrate brand and performance metrics for holistic ROI.
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